Proper good Doctor Who - one of the best of the current era, suitably chaotic and all over the place but I love the dog monster and both Vinder and Dan Lewis are more charismatic than both Ryan and Graham, who I admittedly quite like. The Doctor being a Liverpool fan I'm less of a fan of though.
Chibnall's best at serialisation and this is him playing to his strengths, the ending shots of all the major players involved felt very Broadchurch episode 1 ending-y. There's a lot going on - almost too much, but it's fairly simple to follow - The Doctor fighting the end of the universe, and I loved it. The bit about the alien Dogs being man's best friend was hilarious too (as was The Doctor being Trent Alexander Arnold's ball boy, and the nod to the Scottish accents) - very Moffat-y in tone and sheer amount of stuff going on. This feels like what Series 6 would have been like had it been allowed to be full serialised and I'm absolutely here for this Shada/Trial of the Time Lords approach. The smaller TARDIS crew works wonders for now, and Yaz has gone full Clara here - meaning her days are surely numbered (possible death of both The Doctor and Yaz at the same time but with The Doctor regenerating looking on the cards here?) - but I like that she's getting to call out The Doctor.
Also like - as one of the 5 people that didn't mind Timeless Children - that they're going full in with The Division plot. Hopefully this leads to more surprise cameos and it'd be rude to not see Ruth!Doctor one more time - Jo Martin was excellent in Fugitive of the Judoon. The Weeping Angels haven't been overused (they last appeared in Obama's first term) so I'm excited to see more of them especially under a different showrunner than Moffat. More to come with most of these - it's all set-up and so much is now riding on the payoff, but what a way to keep me hooked for next week.
Might actually rewatch this before next week's as I'm also in the middle of a Series 12 rewatch (just ran out of time to do it before Series 13, sadly) - and it's been a while since I watched a Who episode twice in the same week. Big fan. Will miss 13 when she goes...
Excellent. Fantastic portrayal of the Sontarans - arguably the best of the current era - and the Crimean War is a perfect backdrop for them - great visuals with the work of director Jamie Magnus Stone, and the humour that the Sontarans have always had comes through. Chibnall's fantastic at writing classic monsters + historicals so classic monsters + historicals is a match made in heaven, and although his storyline was rather short this week almost echoing The Lie of the Land with the suburban fighting of the Sontarans straight out of The Stolen Earth (and the parents/companion dynamic too!), Dan is already becoming a favourite. The set-up with Swarm and Azure is brilliant - just hope it sticks the landing with both of them. Jodie Whittaker is at her best in the confrontational scenes with the Sontaran/British General - and playing to the Sontarans weaknesses is classic Doctor Who.
Marvel need to start paying David Aja and given that his influence over the series is absolutely everywhere, it's criminal that he hasn't been yet.
Would be great if all the people who went out of their way to comment how much they hated the show for like the past four seasons every single week just... stopped watching it.
Love the show, wish it had a better score as the music has hurt it all season.
A masterclass of a finale to such a terrific season - more than rewarding of the slow start. AppleTV+'s best original series.
Best show on television right now, a real rollercoaster in every sense. My MVP changes from week to week - and for all the Lost comparisons there's tons of Leftovers DNA here.
The running kidnapping gag is probably the best comedy-related thing of the year so far
TV as the 6th estate, completely damning of the police and a complete tour-de-force of a performance by Sheridan Smith. Stephen Merchant in an against-type role but Port is never glamourized. Essential.
Shocking first five minutes - Yellowjackets doesn't really hold back at all. Insane episode, as usual.
There are more New Order songs out there than True Faith!
Love how Tarka has become one of the most compelling characters in the show - his arc with Book is just as great as the main one. Such a great stakes raising episode, really care a lot more about the bridge crew than I have done in previous seasons!
Think this episode has pushed me in the camp of Season 4 > 3 as much as I love 3A. Love the attention they're giving to the characters - it's spent the past few episodes addressing the complaint about not spending enough time with the bridge crew and it's moving in a clear direction. Plus, it's always great to see Jett Reno show up!
you know, if i was watching a show five seasons in and still moaning about it i think I'd probably have given up by now but that might be just me
